Photographer holds festival of hope amid Aleppo fighting

By Catriona Davies, CNN

Updated 1141 GMT (1841 HKT) October 5, 2012

Two images taken in the same week in the center of Aleppo. On the left is a burning building in the old city on September 22; on the right is the opening of Aleppo Photo Festival at Le Pont Gallery on September 15.

Story highlights

Civil war reached center of Syria's second city one month before photo festival due to start

These pictures were taken within one week of each other in the center of Aleppo and show the incredible resilience of some of its residents in the face of Syria's bloody civil war.

Photographer Issa Touma's home in the historic area of Aleppo has been badly damaged by gunfire. Yet, amid the crossfire between opposition and government forces, Touma is still organizing the international photography festival he holds every year.

Touma, who owns a gallery in Aleppo, has been running the exhibition for 11 years and was determined that the show would continue despite fighting reaching the center of the city on August 19. The festival was due to open on September 15.

"Before that time we were continuing preparations for the festival in the normal way because we didn't think the middle of the city would be affected by the war," said Touma.

Issa Touma's creative resistance 7 photos

Issa Touma's creative resistance 7 photos

Issa Touma at the opening of the Aleppo Photo Festival on September 15, as fighting raged around the city.

Hide Caption

1 of 7

Issa Touma's creative resistance 7 photos

Refugee children taking part in an Art Camping workshop in Aleppo. Touma started in March as a peaceful response to the civil war and to bring culture to refugees who have crowded into city center.

Hide Caption

2 of 7

Issa Touma's creative resistance 7 photos

Children taking pencil rubbings as part of a "textures of the city" project through Art Camping in Aleppo on August 13, a few days before fighting reached the city center.

Hide Caption

3 of 7

Issa Touma's creative resistance 7 photos

A giant fish made from CDs and and DVDs on the wall of a building in central Aleppo. They were collected by Art Camping participants in April. The fish remains in place despite heavy fighting in the area. "I think both sides like it," said Touma.

Hide Caption

4 of 7

Issa Touma's creative resistance 7 photos

Touma leads a workshop with refugee children in Aleppo in August as part of the Art Camping project.

Hide Caption

5 of 7

Issa Touma's creative resistance 7 photos

Refugee children in Aleppo taking part in an Art Camping workshop on August 16, three days before fighting reached the city center.

Hide Caption

6 of 7

Issa Touma's creative resistance 7 photos

Touma runs a photography workshop as part of Art Camping in May 2012.

Hide Caption

7 of 7

EXPAND GALLERY

"But life changed quickly. Shooting started to come from every direction," he added.

Syria's largest city, in the north of the country, has become a key battleground between the rebel Free Syrian Army, which controls parts of the city, and forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad aiming to drive them out.

Until August, the fighting was confined to the countryside surrounding the city, but has since moved closer and closer to the center.

On August 27, Touma's home in a historic area of the city was badly damaged by gunfire and he says he was trapped inside for nine days while fighting raged outside.

"The Free Syrian Army's lines were in front of my house," he said. "Those nine days were so terrible."

International works at Aleppo Photo Festival 6 photos

International works at Aleppo Photo Festival6 photos

This photograph of a young girl dressed for Friday prayers at her mosque in Baku, Azerbaijan, is part of a series by American photographer Amanda Rivkin.

Hide Caption

1 of 6

International works at Aleppo Photo Festival6 photos

A photograph from the series "Des Paysement" by French photographer Eric Bouttier

Hide Caption

2 of 6

International works at Aleppo Photo Festival6 photos

Photo from a series called "Black Tsunami" by James Whitlow Delano, an American photographer living in Japan. It shows a young boy found several kilometers inland from the sea, swept there by the great 25m high tsunami in 2011 where it was exposed to the snow. The fate of the young boy in the photograph is unknown.

Hide Caption

3 of 6

International works at Aleppo Photo Festival6 photos

A photo in the series "Black Tsunami" about Japan's 2011 tsunami by James Whitlow Delano, an American photographer living in Japan.

Hide Caption

4 of 6

International works at Aleppo Photo Festival6 photos

A photo in the series "Black Tsunami" about Japan's 2011 tsunami by James Whitlow Delano, an American photographer living in Japan.

Hide Caption

5 of 6

International works at Aleppo Photo Festival6 photos

A photo from the series "I Thought I Saw You There" by French photographer Cath.An.

Hide Caption

6 of 6

EXPAND GALLERY

"After nine days both sides stopped firing for a short moment to let the civilians out.

"There was no food in my fridge by then. I will never forget those nine days in all my life."

Amnesty International said in a report on August 23 that civilians had borne the brunt of air strikes, mortar and artillery attacks on residential areas, with scores of people not involved in the conflict killed and injured.

The United Nations estimates that 19,000 people have been killed across Syria since the uprising began 18 months ago and that 1.2 million people -- half of them children -- have left their homes and become refugees in their own country.

Touma is now living with his parents in the center of Aleppo and considers himself lucky.

He said: "Many people are living in the street or in the entrance of buildings, in schools, in churches, in gardens, many families are living together without much space.

"All night we can't sleep because most of the war happens at night. Sometimes the water cuts out for two or three days, sometimes electricity cuts if they are shooting the cables."

Many practical problems made organizing a photography festival a near impossibility, he added: There was no communication or internet connection in the city for almost a month, the building where the festival was due to take place was inaccessible and artworks that had been sent by artists around the world had not arrived.

"It's almost an impossible situation but we wanted to go on because if we don't go on people will lose hope," said Touma.

So he organized a smaller scale exhibition in his own gallery -- which had not been damaged -- and 60 people attended the symbolic opening.

The 870 photographs he has from 48 artists around the world will be shown gradually in a changing display in Touma's gallery, rather than all together in a large building as planned. A few other galleries in the city have also offered to show parts of the exhibition.

"People were really happy at the opening," said Touma. "It's been really important for everybody."

"It all has to change depending on the situation, nothing is certain. It all depends on which direction they are shooting in, whether we can get in touch with people to advertise."